


Rainbow Ribbon

by valammar



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roller Derby, F/F, Fluff, Modern Thedas, Roller Derby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-23
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-08-10 16:08:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7851961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valammar/pseuds/valammar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dagna discovers that Sera is much less reticent to talk about her past than she thought. Hair braiding and some light fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rainbow Ribbon

“Woof, I’m knackered. Thanks for letting me crash, yeah?”  

“Oh, don’t mention it!” Dagna led a teetering Sera down the hallway to her dorm. After their first big win of the season, they were both exhausted – partly from muscle fatigue, partly from the cheap bottle of gutrot the team passed around afterward. 

“Feels weird,” Sera said, placing a hand on the wall as if trying to recall a fond memory or suppress an unpleasant one. “Never thought I’d be back here.” 

She’d only heard vague rumors about the girl who trashed the Dean’s office in protest and was ultimately expelled, but from the look in Sera’s grey hazel eyes, she wasn’t planning on anything more than a brief lament. It wouldn’t be prudent to ask. 

“Well, here we are,” she said, unlocking the door. Sera stumbled inside and slowly drew her head around the room. Looking at the elf in her red leather jacket and combat boots, Dagna suddenly felt a tinge of guilt for owning so much _pink_. She’d expected her guest to scoff at her neatly tufted fuchsia area rug, but she was surprised when she heard a delighted giggle. 

“Ohohoho, it’s so frickin’ _cute_! Lookit these curtains!” With that, Sera tossed her body onto the bed – boots still on – and bounced herself joyfully on the cotton candy colored bedspread. “Had a foster mum who made my room look like this. Clothes, too. Wanted me lookin’ like a big angry bit of bubblegum.”  

She’d never heard that before. “Really?” 

“ _Hilarious_ , right? Me, all dressed up like a fairy princess!” 

“I meant before that. You were in foster care?” 

 Lips pursed, Sera sat up and scanned her beloved crafting table, set with organized bins of ribbons, bottles sparkling with glitter, and assorted paints.  

“What do you make with all that?” she asked, in a clear attempt at changing the subject. 

“Birthday cards, plaques, collages, knits, woven baskets, upcycling—“ 

“Upside what?” 

“Oh! Upcycling! I like to take things from the garbage, paint them, cover them with glitter and sell them online. Gotta make extra cash somehow! And everything’s better with glitter.” 

Sera snickered again. “You and your little squishy legs stickin’ out of a dumpster! Grand.” She picked up her hot glue gun from the table and pointed it at the ceiling lamp, like a renegade in those old Western films her dad used to watch. “Had another foster mum who went nuts for all that bejeweled, glittery, crafty stuff. Covered half the house in sequins by the time I got there. I just fix stuff with duct tape.”  

“ _Another_ foster mom?” She knew it was insensitive to pry, but there was so much about Sera she still didn’t know. 

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “That’s the way it goes – child of the state and all that.” 

“Where were your parents?” 

“Eaten by bears on a camping trip.” 

“…Really?” 

She snorted. “No, you silly! You’re a nosy one, aren’t you?” 

“Sorry, it’s just – agh! I’m not the best when it comes to talking. Which is funny, because everyone says I can never stop talking. My biochemistry professor told me that I need to stop drinking coffee and the truth is: I don’t even drink coffee! My mind just…I’m sorry. It’s super rude, I know.” 

“Pfft, it’s all right. Not like I _knew_ them. I dunno where they’ve gone. All I know is I ended up here and there, bein’ passed around. Lucky, innit? Most people get stuck with the same parents their whole life – I got a new pair every year.” 

Dagna’s stomach lurched. Talking with Sera reminded her of her mother; how she wished she _could_ have had her by her side forever. Things might have been better. Her dad might have been happier, and he might not have been so confrontational when she decided to leave for a school outside of Orzammar. 

Sera had already moved on, picking through her craft bins and pulling out shiny bits of ribbon like a little magpie. “No way!” she yelled, causing Dagna to jump. 

“What?” 

“This ribbon!” She held the spool up like she’d just won a prize: a slim rainbow stripe, trimmed in gold. One of Dagna’s favorites. 

“Nothing like a little rainbow to brighten your day, right?” 

“You said you do weaving, yeah? Think you can do like, a braid thingy, with this in my hair?” 

“I thought you were tired?” 

“ _Pretty_ please, Widdle?” 

Her hair was so short and choppy she didn’t know if there were even enough strands to braid properly. But given the way she’d opened up to her about her childhood, it felt impolite not to at least _try_. 

“Sure,” she said. “Sit down.” 

Sera scrambled to the foot of the bed, planting herself on the floor and Dagna took a seat on the mattress above her. It felt nice, being this close. She was glad Sera couldn't see the color rising in her cheeks from this angle. 

“Good bout tonight,” she said, pulling strands of Sera’s wheat-colored tresses together and crossing it with a strand of the ribbon. 

“Pfft, yeah, you snuffed it! The way you gave that stuffy bitch who tripped me up the can opener! Whoo, that was _grand_!” 

“Sera, I’m not trying to pry but…can I ask you something?” 

She tensed and debated for an eternal moment. “Go on.” 

“Why did you do it?” 

“Do what?” 

“Trash the Dean’s office. It just seems like…” 

“Like _what_? Like a stupid thing to do?” 

Dagna winced. “I didn’t mean—“ 

“Some rich tits on the board thought they could get richer if they stopped givin’ grants to people! Poor people. People like _me_. I may be stupid, but not stupid enough to not know that it's wrong! Far as I care he got what he deserved.” 

“…I’m sorry.” 

She turned to face her and Dagna, the corner of her mouth curled into a smile. Dagna wince when she playfully punched her in the arm. It didn’t even hurt.  

“You’re all right. Just don’t be so silly with the questions, yeah?” 

“Did it work? Did they rethink the grant termination?” 

She scoffed. “Nope. They’re off being even richer tits and now I got to take _musical therapy_ with some daft bird who won’t shut up about her cat.” 

Surprisingly, Dagna had managed to usurp enough strands on Sera’s head to create a formidable braided strand. “There, I’m done. One more question, though.” 

“One more, then that’s it.” 

“What were you studying? When you were here.” 

“…Economics.” 

“ _Economics_?” 

“And what’s so funny about economics, Miss _Biochemistry_?” 

“ _Nothing_! I just…always had you pinned as more of a Theater person.” 

“Ha! Can you imagine me, dressed up like some frilly bard on stage?! Oh, Widdle, you’re a riot!” 

They laughed. Dagna’s was breathy and light; Sera’s was a low, rapid cackle. “Thanks. For answering. And sharing. And for everything, really.” 

“Is that all, then?” Sera smirked. “Can I look at my hair now?” 

A part of her felt tempted to trail her hand downward and cup her cheek, but all she could do was nod. “That’s all.” 

With athletic finesse, Sera practically leaped into a standing position and bounded over to the wall mirror.  

“Whoa! You need to do the whole team up like this! Then we all get shitfaced and go out for new tattoos!” 

“You…have a tattoo?” 

Sera grinned, mischievous. “Maybe I’ll show it to you sometime.” 

The next morning, Dagna left Sera to sleep on the futon, hugging a pillow to her chest, and made her way outside to place an overdue phone call. 

It rang four times before a groggy voice said hello. 

“Dad? It’s me.” 


End file.
